This invention relates to a lithotriptor to be used for crushing a stone in the organ of a living body.
For the destruction of a stone growing in the organ of a living body, the technique of detonating an explosive near the stone and causing the shock wave generated by the explosion to act directly upon the stone and crush it into pieces has been known to the art. Indeed this conventional method is capable of concentrating the shock wave enough to obtain effective crushing of the stone, but there is the possibility that the gas evolved by the explosion and expanded rapidly will affect the vicinity of the explosion and the crushed fragments of the stone will be sent flying in all directions by the force of the gas to inflict damage to the living tissues in the vicinity. This technique, therefore, has a serious disadvantage that its application is restrained only within internal organs having large cavities.
An object of this invention is to provide a lithotriptor such that the gas evolved and rapidly expanded by explosion of an explosive will not exert any effect upon the vicinity and will not inflict any damage to the living tissues.
Another object of this invention is to provide a lithotriptor capable of producing a large breaking force upon the stone.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a lithotriptor which is simple in construction and easy to fabricate, and which enjoys high reliability and safety of operation.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.